104 red roses for “Mama Old”
MALASIQUI—Why settle for 18 roses as a debutante when one can get 104 long stemmed roses to celebrate one’s birthday?
That’s exactly what 104-year-old grandmother Ceferina Cruz Macaranas received during her grand birthday celebration at the grand ballroom of Star Plaza Hotel in Dagupan City Saturday, September 27.
Relatives and close friends presented to her the roses individually while half of her guests lit candles to give the ceremony an ambiance of solemnity.
The amazing and witty lola from Montemayor St., Barangay Poblacion this town, wowed her guests with a chacha dance on her special day.
Lola Cinay receives the roses from relatives
Known to her friends and neighbors as “Cinay” is “Mama Old” to her grandchildren and close relatives, she could be the oldest living grandma in this town.
She said she did not pray for long life but she acknowledged that her long life could be attributed to her refusal to lead a stressful life.
Eva Castro, Mama Cinay’s youngest child, said her mother can still recall her birthday, Sept. 29, 1910 and deliberately chooses to remember only good memories, and does not dwell on any bitter past like the war time.
When asked how she fared during the war, “What I did? Why, should I fight?” came her quick retort that made the people around her laugh. She admitted, however, that she enjoyed that part of the war when her family hid in the hilly area of Barangay Palapar where food was abundant. ”It was like camping!” she said.
Mama Old’s latest medical check-up showed her vital organs to be normal for her age.
She can also read without reading glasses and her comprehension has not left her. After reading the Entertainment section of The Philippine Star copy dated Sept. 28 in their home, she remarked how much Helen Gamboa must have loved her husband Sen. Tito Sotto upon reading the feature on the former actress.
“She must have loved her husband that much,” she remarked, visibly impressed.
Having earned a degree on Education at the then National Teachers’ College, she takes pride in being proficient in the King’s language, which she uses to communicate with her family and friends with ease.
Cinay’s husband, Salvador Macaranas, was appointed presidente of the municipal government like his father because of his ability to speak English. He died when he was barely in his 50s, leaving her to raise her eight children on her own, whose names she clearly remembers to this day. She takes pride in having 21 grandchildren.
When asked during the interview at her residence if she could identify the man in a picture frame that hung in their living room, she easily pointed to him as her “sweetheart.”
Eva said the family will parade her mom in the next town fiesta (in January) to inspire people and make them aspire for longevity, too.
“Maybe her secret to longevity is being worry-free,” Eva said. Her mom has 21 grandchildren and a possibly a hundred great grandchildren.
Karlisa, one of Lola Cinay’s apos, said her Mama Old “is a perfect grandma,” who always went out of her way to bring her and siblings to-and-fro the school while living in Canada.
Lola Cinay is a dual citizen of Canada and the Philippines. She migrated to Canada in 1973 and Eva said her mother decided to remain here till the day she is reunited with her sweetheart forever. (Tita Roces)
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